The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs on Wednesday will release details and application materials for street vending during Inauguration Day on January 20, 2017.

“We are working as hard as possible to provide vendors with as many sites as possible for this important event,” said DCRA Director Melinda M. Bolling. “We appreciate everyone’s patience as we finalize the details.”

Those interested in vending on Inauguration Day can subscribe to an email alert by sending an email to dcracommunications@dc.gov with “Inauguration” in the subject line.

Everyone agrees that the street vending system in New York City is confusing and unfair for everyone involved: small business owners, pedestrians and the vendors themselves. The question now is whether City Council members will perpetuate this broken system or seize the opportunity to make meaningful reforms that allow street vending to continue to thrive, while protecting storefront businesses and ensuring a safe, accessible public realm.

The New York City BID Association, consisting of 72 business improvement districts throughout all five boroughs, represents 85,500 businesses, including 20,000 small storefront businesses which employ more than 1 million people. We welcome the councils recently introduced proposal to overhaul street vending, and respect the role that street vendors have played for more than a century in the fabric of daily life in New York City. At the same time, we support small business owners who also struggle to support families while paying taxes and conforming to the citys complex, often onerous laws and regulations.